A New Dictionary Of Christian Ethics

One of Christianity Today's 1996 Books of the Year Especially in today's complicated world, moral practice and decision-making raise many hard questions. Dealing with those questions often requires wide-ranging understanding—in areas such as systematic and practical theology, psychology, economics, sociology and philosophy. For the first time, the New Dictionary of Christian Ethics and Pastoral Theology offers expert information and guidance across this range of disciplines—in a single volume. Besides hundreds of articles on specific issues, the Dictionary includes eighteen major keynote articles which provide a basic introduction to the main themes of Christian ethics and pastoral theology. These articles alone constitute a textbook of Christian ethics, excellently surveying that broad field. Written at a nontechnical and accessible level, this dictionary will be consulted again and again by Christians from all walks of life.

This one-stop reference book on the vital relationship between Scripture and ethics offers needed orientation and perspective for students, pastors, and scholars. Written to respond to the movement among biblical scholars and ethicists to recover the Bible for moral formation, it is the best reference work available on the intersection of these two fields. The volume shows how Christian Scripture and Christian ethics are necessarily intertwined and offers up-to-date treatment of five hundred biblical, traditional, and contemporary topics, ranging from adultery, bioethics, and Colossians to vegetarianism, work, and Zephaniah. The stellar ecumenical list of contributors consists of more than two hundred leading scholars from the fields of biblical studies and ethics, including Darrell Bock, David Gushee, Amy Laura Hall, Daniel Harrington, Dennis Olson, Christine Pohl, Glen Stassen, and Max Stackhouse.

This dictionary breaks new ground by combining articles on Christian ethics and pastoral theology in one volume. It seeks to integrate moral, pastoral and practical theology in a way not attempted before in a single work of reference. Instead of the usual A-Z listing throughout, it is arranged in two parts. Part One consists of eighteen extended articles, arranged in theological order, introducing users to the main themes of Christian ethics and pastoral theology. Part Two contains articles, alphabetically arranged, which stem from the main themes. An easy-to-use reference system enables quick transition from the first to the second part and vice versa. Articles address a wide range of topics: reproductive technologies and transplant surgery, health and health care; issues of economic and social justice; prison and prison reform; psychotherapy and family therapy; business ethics and data protection; as well as such traditional subjects as atonement, the kingdom of God, suffering, death and dying, and heaven and hell. This dictionary will therefore appeal to many groups: pastors, counsellors, medical practitioners, people employed in the caring services, Christians in professional or commercial life, and indeed to all who want to live out their faith meaningfully and ethically in today's complex and challenging world. Its spacious layout, superb design and clear print make this volume a delight to use, and its carefully drawn-up bibliographies will help readers to deepen their knowledge of particular subject.

Covers the whole field of Christian ethics, past and present, for every interested reader.